'Human prejudice' explored in talk, Oct. 15

Posted October 15, 2002; 07:14 a.m.

by rstevens

Williams, who divides his time between professorships at Oxford University and the University of California-Berkeley, is considered one of the most influential voices in contemporary moral philosophy. He is the author of books on Plato and Descartes as well as a volume titled "Making Sense of Humanity."

In describing his lecture, Williams said, "Many people think that 'humanity' is an ethical idea, and that it makes a basic moral difference whether a creature they are dealing with is another human being or not.... Some philosophers attack this outlook as a prejudice, similar to racism or sexism. I shall argue that their view is based on a deep misconception, which itself involves an attempt to project human attitudes onto the universe."

Williams' talk is designated as the Walter Edge Lecture and is part of the University's
Public Lectures Series
. It will be Webcast; viewing information is available
online
.